Michael Greyeyes (born June 4, 1967) is a Canadian First Nations (Muskeg Lake Cree Nation) actor, dancer, choreographer, director, and educator.
In 1996, Greyeyes portrayed Crazy Horse in the television film Crazy Horse. In 2018, Greyeyes portrayed Sitting Bull in Woman Walks Ahead to critical acclaim. He has also had TV roles on Fear the Walking Dead, True Detective and I Know This Much Is True. In 2021–2022, he had a main role in the Peacock sitcom Rutherford Falls. He had a recurring role in the first season of the Paramount+ western series 1923. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for his performance in the zombie film Blood Quantum.
Life and career Born in Saskatchewan, Greyeyes is Plains Cree from the Muskeg Lake First Nation. His father was from the Muskeg Lake First Nation and his mother was from the Sweetgrass First Nation, both located in Saskatchewan. Greyeyes started his performance career as a dancer. He is a graduate of The National Ballet School in 1984. He became an apprentice with The National Ballet of Canada before joining the company as a Corps de Ballet member in 1987.
After three years, he moved to New York City in 1990 to join the company of modern dance choreographer Eliot Feld. Greyeyes performed in many of Feld's seminal works, including Intermezzo, Skara Brae, and The Jig is Up. He performed in roles created for him in such ballets as Common Ground and Bloom's Wake. After years of also working as an actor, Greyeyes later completed his master's degree in Fine Arts at the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University and graduated in May 2003.
Greyeyes began his acting career in 1993, when he was cast as Juh in TNT's Geronimo. This role led to numerous television appearances, including guest-starring performances in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Walker, Texas Ranger, Numb3rs, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and Millennium. In 1998 he starred in Stolen Women, Captured Hearts, with Janine Turner and Patrick Bergen. He is featured in the mini-series Klondike, Dreamkeeper, Rough Riders, Big Bear, and True Women.
His films include: Dance Me Outside, Smoke Signals, Sunshine State, Skipped Parts, Skinwalkers (based on the book by Tony Hillerman), and Woman Walks Ahead (2017), in which he played Chief Sitting Bull opposite Jessica Chastain as a portrait painter.
Greyeyes also continued his dance research on the modern form of traditional dancing, powwow. His journey of exploration was documented in He Who Dreams: Michael on the Powwow Trail for CBC Television by Adrienne Clarkson. He choreographed and performed in Rebecca Belmore's durational performance art work Gone Indian for Toronto's Nuit Blanche.
Greyeyes continues to act and dance regularly. His more recent works include The New World directed by Terrence Malick, Tecumseh's Vision, a PBS documentary/live action drama, Passchendaele, which opened the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, and Triptych (a short film broadcast nationally on Bravo! Television).
Untitled #1535 is a site-specific dance work he choreographed for Dusk Dances. The Journey (Pimooteewin) is an opera he directed with music by Melissa Hui and libretto by Tomson Highway.
He did the voice of protagonist Tommy Tawodi in the 2006 action game Prey. He played a recurring role on Fear The Walking Dead (2017).
In 2010, Greyeyes founded Signal Theatre, a company that explores intercultural and transdisciplinary live performance. As artistic director and choreographer, he has overseen the creation of three major works, including From thine eyes (Harbourfront Centre), Nôhkom (The Banff Centre), and A Soldier's Tale (Fleck Dance Theatre), a work examining the aftermath of war upon soldiers and their families. He has said that he "was not interested in staging ethnicity." A Soldier's Tale was co-produced by The National Arts Centre and The Canada Dance Festival and opened the 2014 Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa at the NAC Theatre. Signal Theater has also produced installations and performance art works, such as Winter Home, which premiered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Greyeyes won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for his performance in the zombie film Blood Quantum.Zach Harper, "'Schitt's Creek' and 'Kim's Convenience' win big at 2021 Canadian Screen Awards". Hello! Canada, May 21, 2021. He has played the main role of Terry Thomas, CEO of a fictional tribe's casino on the Peacock TV series Rutherford Falls (2021-2022).
In 2021 Greyeyes was signed to a first look deal with Blumhouse Productions. Greyeyes appears as John Rainbird in the 2022 film Firestarter, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
In 2023 he participated as one of the panelists in Canada Reads, championing Emily St. John Mandel's novel Station Eleven."Meet the Canada Reads 2023 contenders" . CBC Books, January 25, 2023.
He has directed episodes of the television series Acting Good. In 2024 his first short film, The Light Before the Sun, premiered at the Hamilton Film Festival.Nicholas Sokic, "Blackbird Productions takes flight with Michael Greyeyes film". Playback, October 2, 2024.
Personal life Greyeyes is an associate professor of theatre at York University. He is married to Nancy Latoszewski. They have two children, Micah and Lilia, born in 2002 and 2004.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1994 Dance Me Outside Gooch 1995 Rude Spirit Dancer 1996 A Nation Is Coming Ghost Dancer Short 1998 Firestorm Andy Smoke Signals Junior Polatkin The Minion Grey Eagle A League of Old Men Red Cloud 2000 Skipped Parts Hank Elkrunner 2002 ZigZag Dale Sunshine State Billy Trucks 2004 The Reawakening Robert Doctor 2005 The New World Rupwew 2007 Cosmic Radio - 2008 Passchendaele Highway The Dreaming Spirit Short 2009 Kissed by Lightning Jessie Lightning 2013 Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian Allan 2017 Woman Walks Ahead Sitting Bull 2019 Blood Quantum Traylor Togo Amituk 2021 Wild Indian Makwa ("Michael Peterson") Wildhood Smokey 2022 Firestarter John Rainbird 2023 The King Tide Marlon 2024 40 Acres Galen 2025 Meadowlarks Anthony 2026 Someone's Daughter Kent
Television Year Title Role Notes 1993 Geronimo Juh TV movie 1995 Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Shaman Episode: "The Tale of the Manaha" 1996 Crazy Horse Crazy Horse TV movie 1997 Stolen Women, Captured Hearts Tokalah TV movie Promised Land Rod Episode: "The Outrage" Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Walks In The Night Episode: "Moment of Truth Part 1 & 2" True Women Tarantula Main cast Rough Riders Delchaney (Apache) Episode: "Episode #1.1 & #1.2" Millennium Joe Reynard Episode: "A Single Blade of Grass" 1998 The Magnificent Seven Imala Episode: "Ghosts of the Confederacy" Big Bear Wandering Spirit Episode: "Episode #1.1 & #1.2" 1999 Walker, Texas Ranger Brian Falcon Episode: "Team Cherokee: Part 1 & 2" 2000 Harsh Realm The Brave Episode: "Cincinnati" Race Against Time Johnny Black Eagle TV movie The Lost Child Eddie TV movie 2001 Sam's Circus Chief TV movie 2001 Charmed Bo Lightfeather Episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Cursed" MythQuest Strong Bear Episode: "Red Wolf's Daughter" 2002 Body & Soul Detective Cornstalk Episode: "Graveyard Shift" Skinwalkers: The Navajo Mysteries Dr. Stone Episode: "Skinwalkers" Skinwalkers Dr. Stone TV movie 2003 Dreamkeeper Thunder Spirit TV movie 2004 The Jury Ty Sawyer Episode: "Lamentation on the Reservation" 2005 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Sonny Brightbill Episode: "Gone" Numb3rs Thomas Morris Episode: "Bones of Contention" 2007 Dancing with Spirit Lead Dancer Episode: "Triptych" 2009 American Experience Tecumseh Episode: "We Shall Remain Part II: Tecumseh's Vision" 2014 Klondike Cheyeho Recurring cast 2015 Saints & Strangers Canonicus Episode: "Episode #1.1 & #1.2" 2017 Fear the Walking Dead Qaletaqa Walker Recurring cast (season 3) American Gods Pit Boss Episode: "Git Gone" 2019 True Detective Brett Woodard Recurring cast (season 3) V Wars Jimmy Saint Main cast 2020 I Know This Much Is True Ralph Drinkwater Main cast 2020–21 Home Before Dark Sam Gillis Recurring cast (season 1), guest (season 2) 2021 Star Trek: Discovery Felix Episode: "The Examples" 2021–22 Rutherford Falls Terry Thomas Main cast 2022–2023 Acting Good cousin Leon S01E01, Just Fok'n Missing Her - S01E04, High Rollers - S02E10, A Man for All Shack-Up Seasons 2022–2025 1923 Hank Episode: "Ghost of Zebrina", “One Ocean Closer to Destiny”, “The Rule of Five Hundred”, “Nothing Left to Lose” 2024 Spirit Rangers 'Eleyewun Episode: "Finding True North/The Great Swordfish", "Summer's in Charge/Barracuda Brouhaha" 2025 The Abandons Jack Cree Recurring cast
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2006 Prey Domasi Tawodi (Tommy)/Hiders #1/Abducted #2/Radio Caller #1
Awards and nominations Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome 2018 Saturn Awards Saturn Award for Best Guest Performance in a Television Series Fear the Walking Dead 2021 Canadian Screen Awards Canadian Screen Award for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Blood Quantum Gotham Independent Film Awards Outstanding Performance in a New Series Rutherford Falls Outstanding Lead Performance Wild Indian 2022Independent Spirit Awards Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series Rutherford Falls Best Male Lead Wild Indian
References
External links